They left Dickstein Shapiro LLP, where Fastow was co-leader
of the antitrust and financial services practice.

Fastow recently won a jury trial for ArvinMeritor Inc. in
an antitrust case concerning anticompetitive conduct in the sale
of heavy-duty truck transmissions.

“Ballard Spahr has made a strategic commitment to growing
its antitrust litigation group with top people who complement
our existing team,” John B. Langel, chairman of the firm’s
litigation department, said in a statement.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP announced that Arunabha
Bhoumik, who was a prosecutor in the Justice Department’s Fraud
Section of the Criminal Division, joined the New York office as
a partner in the litigation division.

At the Justice Department, Bhoumik investigated and
prosecuted matters involving fraud, false claims, money
laundering and violations of the anti-kickback statute in the
health-care industry, the firm said in a statement.

Beni Surpin joined Paul Hastings LLP as a partner in the
San Diego office, where he will help lead the firm’s technology
and commercial transactions practice. He was previously a
partner at DLA Piper LLP.

Lora A. Moffatt joined Crowell & Moring LLP’s intellectual
property group in the New York office. She was previously with
Dentons, where she was a partner and co-leader of the firm’s
intellectual property practice group. She was previously
chairwoman of the New York IP practice at Salans before that
firm combined with Dentons.

Perkins Coie LLP added Lorelie S. Masters to the firm’s
Washington office as partner in the insurance recovery group.
Masters was most recently a partner with Jenner & Block LLP.

Firm News

Shearman, Freshfields Lawyers Said to Start Arbitration Firm

A group of six lawyers from Shearman & Sterling LLP,
Covington & Burling LLP, Jones Day LP and Freshfields Bruckhaus
Deringer LLP plan to open a global arbitration firm, a person
familiar with the matter said.

The lawyers from Washington, London and Paris will start an
independent firm later this year, the first to be solely focused
on global arbitration, said the person, who requested anonymity
because of exit negotiations with the law firms.

Two lawyers have resigned from Freshfields’s London and
Paris arbitration teams, the person said. Constantine Partasides
is leaving the London group while Georgios Petrochilos resigned
from the Paris office, the person said.

A third lawyer, Jan Paulsson, who headed the arbitration
group at Freshfields for 20 years and resigned from the firm
last year, will also join the new firm, the person said.

Luke Sobota, based in Jones Day’s Washington office, will
also join the new firm along with Gaetan Verhoosel from
Covington & Burling’s international arbitration team in London,
said the person.

Todd Wetmore, from Shearman & Sterling’s Paris office, will
also join the new firm, the person said.

For more, click here.

Patton Boggs to Close in Newark, Politico Reports

Patton Boggs LLP is closing its Newark, New Jersey, office
after the site lost $11.8 million last year, partly because its
World Trade Center captive insurance case ended, Politico
reported Feb. 24.

Of the 26 lawyers at the Newark office, about five will
remain in New Jersey and about half will join the New York
office, managing partner Ed Newberry said, according to the
website.

It was unclear how many lawyers or staff will lose their
jobs, though 65 were laid off last year and many partners have
left the firm, Politico said.

Patton Boggs cut $27 million in costs last year, which
means it expects a profitable 2014, Newberry told Politico.